In Good Health

Local winter foods may be less varied than the ripened flavors
of summer or the riot of colors in autumn, yet winter foods are
deeply satisfying too. I am currently indulging in a love affair
with kale. I like it raw, braised, roasted, or added to soups and
stews.
I actually like all of the winter greens. If you are not already
doing so, try adding thinly sliced kale to your salads. In winter
my salads are primarily greens, but with a variety of types and
colors. Last night I made a salad with spinach, red cabbage, and
thinly sliced dandelion greens. I added thinly sliced red onion,
radish and carrots, diced red pear and pistachios. It was all
seasonal.
You can make an all-kale salad if you let it sit in the dressing
a little while to soften. Kale and other winter greens are more
bitter and tough than lettuce. The bitterness is an acquired taste,
just like coffee or arugula, but once you’ve got it, you may find
yourself smitten like I am. You can deal with the toughness by
slicing it in thin ribbons and letting it marinate in the dressing.
I have a popular kale salad recipe posted on my blog (listed
below).
Another delicious way to cook hearty greens, or just about any
winter vegetable, is to roast it. Radicchio roasts very nicely, as
do leeks, cauliflower and any of the root vegetables. The radicchio
is halved or quartered, brushed with oil and roasted; the others
are sliced or diced and tossed with oil. If you are using olive
oil, like I do, it is better not to roast at high temperatures.
Because olive oil is primarily monounsaturated, it can oxidize at
high temperatures. I prefer my veggies roasted more gently at 325
or 350 degrees, even though it takes longer. Brussels sprouts used
to be the one vegetable I didn’t like – that is until I discovered
roasting them. What a transformation!
Besides greens, experiment with root vegetables. Raw beets and
turnips are good grated or thinly sliced into salads. Add parsnips,
rutabagas and turnips to soups and stews, or try mashing them with
yams. Another recipe posted on my blog that has been very popular
is a salad made with raw beets and grapefruit. The basic salad is
1/2 largish red beet, grated raw (with the skin is okay); 1
grapefruit peeled and chopped; 1 celery stick chopped and about 1/2
cup chopped red onion; mixed and add vinaigrette dressing. The last
time I made it I also added thinly sliced kale and slivered
almonds. It is beautiful and really good.
We use Bill’s balsamic vinaigrette as dressing for all our
salads: 5 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1
tsp Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon honey (or agave, which mixes in
easier). We actually make it in bulk; it keeps well in the
refrigerator.
On a different note, I want to remind you that you need more
vitamin D in winter. It is a really good idea to have your blood
levels tested – consider doing it the next time you get routine lab
work. Deficiency is very common and you may temporarily need high
doses to correct it. A weekly dose of 50,000 IU for a few months is
commonly used to reverse vitamin D deficiency. Even then, you need
to retest to make sure that it’s enough, and then continue with a
maintenance dose.
Vitamin D plays a role in many body systems, and a deficiency
could worsen mental status, diabetes, heart health, infections
(including colds and flu), muscle and bone pain, and cancer. Low
levels of vitamin D can play a role in the winter blues.
Because of the angle of the sun here in Sonoma County, we don’t
get any vitamin D from the sun in winter. If you supplement (which
I recommend for most people), you may want to boost your dose a
little in winter. You also need more if you are overweight, over 70
or have dark skin – all of these roughly double the amount of
vitamin D needed to maintain healthy blood levels. If you’d like to
know more about vitamin D, I have a good paper about it on my
website, in the nutrition section.
Don’t let rainy, wintery days put a damper on your healthy
habits. Continue to eat well and exercise: you can stay healthy and
happy this winter.
Eat well! Share your comments and insights with Kathy Nichols,
the Healthy Habits Coach, at [email protected]
or 707 431-7524. Find more nutrition information on her website:
healthyhabitscoach.com
or blog healthyhabitscoach.wordpress.com.